Slow Down
by TheNobodyofaSOLDIER
Summary: [Levi x Paralyzed!Reader] [AU]


"1, 2, 3 and up."

With a grunt, Levi heaved you from the bench and cradled you in his arms. He silently carried you through the bustling station and boarded the elongated vehicle, hissing loudly at his entrance.

"You could have just taken your wheel chair," he grumbled. "Why the fuck do I have to carry you?"

You giggled. "What? You already put the chair on the train!"

He rolled his eyes and set you gently on the seat right next to the window. "Tch, you just enjoying making me your fucking slave."

You sighed as he took his seat next you you. "Not at all," then you rested your head against his broad shoulder. "I just like being close to you."

Damn, he always fell for that cheesy line. Though his face expression remained unmoved, his heart fluttered lightly.

"You're an idiot," he said with a shake of his head but a hand rested gingerly on the back of your head.

You loved riding the train when you could. Each time, you sat close to the window, watching the world pass you by. The buildings sped by in a monochromatic blur. The trees, billboards and people melded into a colorful haze. The never ending vastness of the clear, blue sky remained firmly in place, as if watching the hurried mass of colors beneath its majestic hues.

You were reminded of your condition, the permanent injury you suffered leaving you paralyzed. You felt this way, sitting quietly on the sidelines, watching people go about their daily lives, paying you no heed until the time called for it only to return to their daily routine.

It was not that you couldn't take care of yourself. You went to work. You engaged yourself in a daily ritual. But, ever since the car accident, time seemed to flow at a steadier pace. As you were forced to slow down, you took notice of the small joys in life that you otherwise would have ignored. As everyone passed on, you slowed down.

Then, of course, there was your fiance Levi. You would have been married that week had not the taxi crashed into your vehicle. He took off weeks at work just to care for you at the hospital and then at home while you recovered. Much to your surprise, he remained patient, attentive. He nursed your wounds, cooked for you and carried you from place to place even when your wheel chair was finally delivered. As much as h griped about it, he'd do it for you. When you finally learned that you would never be able to walk again, he embraced you and pressed your head into his shoulder as you cried. He kicked you out of bed in the mornings when you no longer could bear it. He found the job for you, helped with rearranging wedding plans, arranged a routine for you, all the while still keeping his job intact. Had it not been for him, you would have withered away.

Yet, even he moved too fast for you at times.

As you passed through a tunnel, darkness temporarily engulfing the train. You turned to Levi as he slaved away on his laptop and tried his damned best to catch up with work. Observing his face, a small smile graced your features. He jet black brows were furrowed in thought. His thin lips pressed together, and his ebony locks concealed his hard, pale eyes. His neck curved lightly indicating his focus.

With a gentle brush of your hand against his arm, you murmured,

"Levi, slow down."

Immediately, he stopped typing and turned to look at you facing brimming with pure love and devotion. You always said this when you wanted to speak with him, but he also knew that this was you reminding him not to drown himself in his work to forget what mattered most to him, what kept his drive. You always recognized the beginning of his submersion and called him out. With a sigh, he closed his laptop and turned to you.

"That bored, huh?" he said, placing a hand on your thigh. His brow arched.

You nodded with a chuckle.

He clicked his tongue. "You brat, I've spent all this time helping you with the stupid wedding, and that's not enough attention for you?"

You leaned in and place a soft peck on his cheek. "Things will get crazy faster than we know it. I just want as much quality time as possible."

"So damn needy."

With that said, Levi took your chin in between his frigid fingers and kissed your mouth. Softly, smoothly, he moved his against yours, making sure you felt every bit of heat spread throughout your nerves. Your heart soared with gratitude and adoration. Once pulling away a little too soon for your liking, he secured you in his arm, pressing your head into his shoulder. After adjusting yourself comfortably, you closed your, inhaling the scent of the lingering black tea. You listened to his lungs expand and deflate rhythmically. You felt his slender fingers tangling within your hair. But, most importantly, you noted the bruising pounding behind his ribs, vibrating his chest ever so slightly, the rapid pulse of his heart unable to fully contain his devotion towards you.

It was in these quiet moments like this in which you full absorbed his love for you - all you needed to do was slow down.


End file.
